


To Corduroy

by LittleBubbleStyles



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Age Difference, Angst, Boss/Employee Relationship, Bottom Harry, Chef Harry, Cute, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Humor, M/M, Poor Harry, Post-Break Up, Rich Louis, Spin Off, Sugar Daddy Louis, Top Louis, Young & Hungry - Freeform, but it's minor, harry is 22, i'm not sure what else to tag, larry stylinson - Freeform, louis is 27
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-09
Updated: 2019-04-09
Packaged: 2019-12-07 03:45:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 15,816
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18229466
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleBubbleStyles/pseuds/LittleBubbleStyles
Summary: Coming off a fresh break up, Harry Styles wants to change his life around by finding a new job in the food industry. When he finds out rich, entrepreneur Louis Tomlinson is looking for a personal chef, Harry jumps at the opportunity. Little did Harry know that there is a lot more planned on the menu when working for Louis Tomlinson than simply just being his personal chef.Young & Hungry Spin Off.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone. This is a new story that has been on my mind for awhile now. I had watched Young and Hungry for years and thought this would be a cute little spin off to make into a Harry and Louis story. 
> 
> I hope you all enjoy this story as much as I enjoyed writing it. I'm posting the first part for now because I don't want to accidentally forget about it and have the website delete it from my drafts. So here is the first chapter. 
> 
> And each of these characters are inspired by the story, so below I will have them listed out as who portrays who. Enjoy!  
> \- Harry Styles as Gabby Diamond  
> \- Louis Tomlinson as Josh Kaminski  
> \- Liam Payne as Sophia Rodriguez  
> \- Zayn Malik as Elliot Park  
> \- Eleanor Calder as Caroline Huntington  
> \- Perrie Edwards as Yolanda  
> There will be more characters throughout the story that are simply inspired by me. Stay tuned for more. (Ps, I'm not sure who to make Niall as, so I guess we will all be surprised once I figure it out.)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Harry's first day on the job and the first time he has ever met Louis Tomlinson. A lot more than just preparing Louis a meal for his first day happens.

There was a time when Harry Styles thought he had his life all together, but then he is constantly reminded that he lives in a shitty apartment he can barely afford with his equally shitty and poor roommate. Well, Liam isn't shitty per say, but when Harry likes to wallow in his mind he likes to stoop Liam down to his level. Actually, Liam is the best roommate Harry could have ever asked for. In all honestly, Liam has been the biggest brother to Harry, and really, Liam has saved Harry's ass more than enough times. They love to struggle together by living pay check to pay check, sometimes spending too much money on cheap wine to get drunk off of. In all honesty, Harry is the shitty one. 

Harry is the shitty one because Liam had told him countless times over again how he shouldn't be wasting his time with Nick Grimshaw - Harry's just now current ex-boyfriend. The problem between Harry and Liam is that Liam is the most logical and reasonable of the two, always giving Harry advice on things, and Harry in return doesn't like to listen. Like when Liam warned Harry about how Nick likes to get around and have his fun, someone who is _not_ serious for relationships, and Harry stupidly thought he would be the different one to actually tie Nick down. Ha, jokes on Harry. 

They were together about two years before Harry had a strange feeling in his gut. He never really thought he was in love with Nick nor had that magical relationship where he would dream about his boyfriend. Harry felt complacent with Nick. So when he found out Nick had actually been cheating on him for the last six months of their relationship, Harry was pretty relieved. 

Harry didn't have anything special with Nick that was worth fighting for. If anything, Nick liked to argue and yell a lot, often putting Harry down with his words. Their sex was subpar, nothing that had Harry caving his back for. It was just there when he needed a release, and Harry doesn't think that's necessarily how a relationship should go. He wants to crave sex with his boyfriend, and if anything, he dreaded it with Nick. He dreaded a lot with Nick, most of them being conversations about Harry's dumb job. Harry was reminded as he broke it off with Nick that he couldn't amount to anything other than being a washed-up diner's chef. 

So, that's when Harry realized he needed a change. He didn't want what Nick's words to have any affect on him, but in reality, Harry wanted to prove that he could be more than a chef at a local diner. His dream was to be a chef of his  _own_ restaurant and sell out cookbooks with his  _own_ recipes. And working at that shitty diner wasn't going to get him anywhere. What he needed to do was get himself out there. He needed to surround himself with people who could make his skills grow to bump him up the ladder to success. 

So like what any good roommate does, Liam is the one who brings the ad to Harry's attention. _Louis Tomlinson in need of a personal chef_. He hands Harry the application he found earlier in the night and makes sure to sit Harry down at their old dining table, slapping the paper in front of Harry and shoving a pencil in his hand. This is one of the things Liam is going to make sure Harry takes advantage of, and he even goes as far as to threaten Harry in driving him to the  _Plaza_ where Louis is living to ensure that Harry doesn't find an excuse to wimp out. Liam has come to realize Harry likes to hear what he has to say before he will turn around and do the complete opposite.

"Are we sure this is a good idea?" Harry questions as his pen hovers over the line for his name. He twists his lips to the side and continues to look down at the application, reading the name Louis Tomlinson over and over again. "He has nothing to do with the food industry."

"Just shut up," Liam complains. He pours himself a glass of that cheap wine and walks over to the table. He pulls the chair back and takes a seat, sipping his glass before setting it on the table. "Working for a millionaire is probably one of the best things anyone can do. Plus, we could use the money." 

"You're right," Harry sighs. He finally puts his pen to the paper and begins filling out his information. He makes it nearly to the last page about confidentiality before he sets the pen down and slumps in his chair. "Okay, but-"

"Stop," Liam interrupts right away. He gives Harry a look and points down to the application, indicating that he wants Harry to finish it. "If you're his chef, you can start working on your own recipes and have him be your little guinea pig."

Harry sighs as he picks the pen back up. He puts his signature down on the final line and looks back up to Liam, "True. He may be able to help my cookbook, too. If he likes me enough."

Liam raises his glass in the air and smiles at Harry, "That's the spirit," he cheers. "Now, what do you think you'll cook him?"

 

//

 

Harry's nerves are on overdrive as he takes the step out of the elevator. He has never been on this side of Manhattan before because he knew he couldn't even afford a cab ride there. He knows his outfit gives away to his lack of money, and the sad part of it is that he really tried to dress up for this interview. Clearly, his goodwill Burberry jacket and Yves Saint Laurent blouse are not up to par compared to the people he noticed on the street. But as Harry stands on the top floor of the  _Plaza_ , looking around the pristine walls and the rich chandelier dangling from the ceiling, he knows he is completely out of his element. 

Harry blows air out his lips as he steps up to the door,  _1211_ , and hesitantly knocks. He waits a few seconds before the door is opening and a girl with long blond hair is standing on the other side. She holds a glass of liquor in one hand with the other holding a duster. She takes one look at Harry, making it noticeable as her eyes go up and down his body, before chugging the rest of her drink. 

She sets the glass down off to the side of the door where a shelf is and then reaches her hand out for Harry. "Hello, I'm Perrie. I'm assuming you're here for the chef interview?" 

"Hello, I'm Harry," he greets in return, gently shaking her hand. 

"Pleasure. The candidate before you is just finishing up so if you would like to wait on the couch." Perrie opens the door wider for Harry to get through, and Harry smiles at her for her semi hospitality before he makes his way inside. 

When Harry takes one foot past the door, he gawks at the entire place. There is an open living room right at the entrance of the front door. To the right is a hallway that leads to further rooms Harry can not see, but his curiosity takes over his mind, and he starts to wonder what this millionaire could possibly keep behind those extra doors. The living room has a drop down where three leather couches are placed in front of a sixty inch smart TV that is mounted on the wall by the stairs. In the very back of the room, is a whole wall of windows that show off the patio and the view from the rest of the city. 

To the left of the door, there is a walk-in kitchen. The kitchen is grand with a center island top that has two electrical stoves on the inner side and a bar top on the outer side. Behind the stoves of the island is a row of counter tops that run into a fridge and a double stacked oven. Above the counters are fresh, mahogany wooden cabinets that are along the walls of the kitchen. 

Harry thinks he is in love when he takes note of how much work space there is in the kitchen, noting all the counters he could cook on and the electric stove that he has been craving to use. The one at his apartment is a fire one, and Harry hates whenever he gets messy with his cooking and drops food down on to the hot plates. So Harry is already day dreaming about spending his days in that kitchen cooking various meals for the millionaire that lives in this apartment, however, Harry's dreams were suddenly halted when his eyes continued to travel to the island where two men were sitting at the bar. 

"Is that Master Chef Josh Devine?" Harry asks Perrie when his eyes land on the said star, feeling himself go breathless as he checks out the name tag thats resting right on Josh' breast pocket, knowing very well he looks star struck in this moment, but well, he remembers just a few months ago when Josh had won Master Chef, and now here he is, right in front of Harry's eyes.

"Yeah, he is here for the interview."

Harry's world seems to stop as his eyes snap over to Perrie's. Harry knows his shot is no longer there if his competition is against a Master Chef who is fresh off the scene from winning the show. There is no way Louis would chose an amateur over a master. Harry feels like even more of a dumbass standing in his cheap clothes right in front of a television show winner. 

"Fuck," Harry mumbles to himself as he drops his gaze to the ground, bringing his fingers up to his mouth so he could begin nibbling on his fingers.

However, Harry's self wallowing is only short lived when Josh starts to stand up from the bar stool, grabbing his jacket off the counter and beginning to put it over his shoulders. Harry's eyes widen when Josh starts to make the move to leave and the guy sitting by him begins to get up as well, looking more desperate and conflicted as he starts to follow Josh. 

"Wait, where are you going?" The stranger asks with a whine, hands reaching out to grab on to the jack that Josh is wearing. 

"I really must be going," Josh informs lazily, continuing through the place until he is reaching the door to leave. "I have a television appearance in an hour. Let me know what Louis thinks." 

Harry watches with wide eyes as Josh walks right past him to get to the door. Harry bites his lip when the rich and musky scent of the Master Chef reaches his nose, and he stupidly feels the sudden need to reach out just to know what touching a Master Chef feels like, but he wills himself not to do so by digging his fingers into his palm. It all takes a few seconds before Josh is exiting the place with a slam to the front door and the stranger flopping his body up against that said door with a loud and pitiful cry. Harry turns his head when he hears Perrie snorting next to him. She rolls her eyes and walks over to the stranger leaning on the door and yanks him off, huffing under her breath before pushing him forward. 

"Zayn, pull yourself together," she snaps.

"But he is so beautiful," Zayn cries dramatically, walking over to the couch and plopping himself against the cushions. Harry stands there awkwardly now that he is in front of the stranger - well, Zayn - not really sure what he should do or say. Instead, he watches Zayn slump and pout because for some strange reason, in Harry's smart mind, that seems like the most logical thing for him to do. 

"We have another interview," Perrie replies with a huff when Zayn continues to sit there without acknowledging the man standing right there in front of him. Perrie scoots next to Harry and tries to subtly point her thumb in his direction, but it is not subtle at all, and Harry feels even more awkward when Zayn's eyes flick towards him. "His name is Harry, and he is ready to cook."

"I don't see much hair," Zayn frowns, crossing his arms over his chest. Harry cocks his head back at the comment and turns to look at Perrie, seeing her shrug her shoulders in response. "Besides, Josh is already offered the spot. Sorry." 

"You didn't even give me a chance," Harry argues, placing his hands on his hips and scowling as he looks down at Zayn. And if Harry had more time to actually admire the man pouting on the couch instead of worrying about giving himself a chance to cook for Louis, he might say Zayn is kind of attractive. Harry can see the toned biceps hugging along the lining of Zayn's leather jacket, the way his meaty thighs cling to those black skinny jeans. His black hair styled back so perfectly to really define his jawline and show off his golden eyes, but no - Harry is not admiring. He is fighting for a chance.

"Would you chose some amateur straight out of college to cook for a multimillionaire, or would you choose the master chef winner?" Zayn snaps back, clearly fed up with Harry's presence for some unknown reason. 

Harry doesn't get a chance to respond, or choke on his words - the world may never know what he had in response because soon enough, Louis is jumping down the stairs. When he reaches the last four steps, he slides down the railing and lands on his feet. He claps his hands together and walks out into the living room where everyone is, a bright smile on his face.

Harry feels his butthole clench when his eyes land on the said multimillionaire man walking his way. He knew Louis was attractive based on the magazine covers and media appearances, but to actually be graced with this beautiful god in person is something Harry simply was not prepared for. He never knew millionaires could wear joggers and look like an adorable slob, but Louis stands there in his gray joggers and a loose-fitting plain maroon shirt looking like Harry's poor self on any typical day.  

"Zayn, do we have a chef?" He asks right away, eyes dancing curiously over to Harry before pointing at him. "Who are you?" he questions, still just as chirpy as when he first bounced into the room. 

"I'm Harry. I'm here for the interview-"

"Correction-" Zayn interrupts right away. He sits up from the couch and walks over to Louis, holding on to his wrist and walking him over to the kitchen. "Josh Devine is your new chef. He is amazing, and wonderful, and talented." 

"But-" Harry pouts, trying to get a word in but is cut off again. 

"Well, where is he?" Louis asks with a frown, eyeballing the kitchen in confusion before he's looking back at Zayn, "I'm hungry." 

"He had somewhere to be, but look he left you lunch." Zayn reaches to pick the plate up and hands it to Louis. Louis grabs it, looks down at the medium-rare steak with potatoes and asparagus before he sets it back on the counter. 

"Zayn, this is cold," He begins, taking a seat on the bar stool, "And I need a chef here with me, not leaving when they feel like it. I didn't even get to meet him or tell him what I wanted for lunch. Steak is not a lunch meal. I'm sorry, but no - he is not my new chef." 

Zayn lets out a dramatic groan and plops himself on the seat next to Louis. Harry watches the interaction with a bite to his lip, not knowing if its in his place to say anything - in all honesty though, he never really knows when to butt in or butt out. In this case, he seemingly needs a little push to actually butt in because Perrie gives him a nudge against Harry's shoulder to knock some sense into him. Harry widens his eyes and hops forward on his feet. He weasels his way closer to Louis and raises his hand. 

"I'm pretty good at guessing what food people are in the mood for," Harry speaks up, blushing when Louis' blue eyes look up to his. "Considering the spot is still open, I would like to have my interview now." 

Zayn rolls his eyes as he looks over to see Louis's face. Louis looks as if he is considering the offer, with the way his eyebrows are raised and his bottom lip being bitten by his teeth. Louis then nods his head in confirmation as he gets up from the seat to walk over to Harry. "What food am I in the mood for then?" He questions with a smirk, carefully eyeing Harry's features. 

"How about a surprise?" Harry suggests. 

When Louis nods his head again, Harry brushes past him to make his way to the kitchen. He turns to go towards the fridge and opens the door to take a look inside. He gives himself a minute to let his heart rate calm down and his breathing to regain normal speed as he sticks his head inside to take slow, deep breaths. If Harry wants to impress Louis with his cooking skills, then he needs to stop being so tensed and jittery, 

He finds the materials he needs to make his surprise meal and grabs what he can in the first trip. He lays everything out on the counter next to the stove. He bends down and opens the cabinet that is underneath the stove and pulls out the proper iron-skillet pan he needs. Harry begins happily preparing the meal while Louis sits off to the side and focuses on his phone. 

Perrie grows interested and walks towards the kitchen as well, leaning on the far end of the island as she watches Harry carefully. She has a smile on her face while she flicks her gaze back and forth between Harry's cooking and Zayn's brooding self. It takes about ten minutes before Harry is making the final flip to his sandwich and plating it on one of Louis' fine china. He tops the sandwich off with a tiny parsley leaf before he is reaching over the counter top to place the plate in front of Louis. 

"Grilled cheese?" Zayn gawks, letting out a snort and rolling his eyes. He walks around the counter and looks down at the sandwich before looking up to laugh, "How ridiculous." 

"This looks perfect," Louis notes as he picks the sandwich up in his hands, causing Zayn to snap his lips together in an instant. Louis holds the sandwich to eye level for a moment as he admires the beauty of the crispy bread before finally taking a bite. When the gooey cheese melts completely in Louis' mouth and has him letting out a food moan, he starts nodding his head and taking another bite. 

"How is it?" Harry asks shyly, folding his hands together over his chest. 

"Perfect," Louis moans again, closing his eyes as he takes another savoring bite into the sandwich. "You have the job," he says right away, finishing the rest of his sandwich. He grabs a napkin from the holder next to where he is sat and wipes his mouth from the excess cheese accumulating on the corner of his lip. He looks up at Harry when he has yet to hear a response, seeing the boy already nodding his head. 

"Yes, of course I would love the job." 

"Good," Louis smiles. He stands up from his seat and leans his elbows on the counter. "I kind of need you to start tonight actually. The reason I'm in desperate need of a chef is that my girlfriend Eleanor really wants one. Plus, tonight, I plan on proposing to her, and I really need my new chef to prepare the best meal to set the mood." 

"Oh," Harry breathes out, feeling slightly taken aback at Louis' explanation.

How foolish of him to think Louis is single and gay. Of course, an attractive twenty seven year old who has created two successful apps, and has sold his software to many different companies, and has been listed as New York's hottest man five times in the past years has a beautiful girlfriend. And of course, that said girlfriend is getting proposed to that night.

Any sexual fantasies that entered Harry's head the minute he saw Louis stroll down those stairs are quickly erased with a new hetero-Louis coming in to play. Sometimes Harry gets ahead of himself and should really know that just because there is an attractive man in front of him, doesn't mean they want to bone him. 

"I know the perfect meal to make," Harry then smiles. 

 

//

 

It is around seven in the evening when Harry is finishing up on his extravagant proposal dinner. He didn't really have much time to celebrate and boast about his new job to Liam - or to even be slightly childish and advertise it on his social media accounts to prove to a certain someone that he _can_ amount to something - because he had to spend his time making sure he prepared the proper meal for Louis and Eleanor. Sure, Harry may had let the slight attraction for Louis give him a little step back into fantasy land, but he had to push it all away to make his first day his best day. 

Harry is pouring the honey glaze across the pork chops when Louis is walking down the steps. Harry looks up and is ready to greet him when he notices a troubled look on Louis' face. Harry gives himself a good few seconds to admire Louis again before he has to be all proper-like the good employee he is trying to be. It is obviously hard when he sees Louis' hair pushed back in a quiff to really show off Louis' defined cheek bones and solid facial structure. It is even harder when he sees Louis' legs suffocating in a pair of black slacks topped with a navy collar shirt that make his eyes sparkle in this million-dollar lighting. 

Louis frowns as he walks over to the island and plops himself on a barstool, dropping his elbows on top of the counter and holding his head up. 

"This doesn't seem like proposal mood," Harry teases. He gets the pork chops fully glazed and puts some buttery-garlic green beans on both plates. He tops it off with a pinch of parsley before he is wiping his hands down his pants and resting himself against the counter. 

"Eleanor just called," Louis begins, shaking his head in disbelief, "She broke up with me."

"Wait, what?" Harry squawks, eyes widening at the revelation. "People still do that over the phone?" he then questions more to himself. 

"She said she feels like we are moving way too fast, and she wants to enjoy her single life a little bit longer." Louis lets out a bitter laugh as he swirls around on the chair. "This is what - the fifth time she has done this."

Harry chews on his bottom lip as he awkwardly looks around the kitchen. The food that he prepared for the proposal is resting on the plates with a few leftover materials still in the pan. So, he has a lot of fucking food that does need to be eaten. The bottle of wine he had picked out to go with his meal is next to two empty wine glasses on the counter, which - alcohol may be calling his name at this time of night. Considering Harry is used to the cheap wine him and Liam normally picked out, this bottle that he found in Louis' wine room is a major upgrade, and Harry has to get a taste just so he can rub it in Liam's face. He lets out a big puff of air through his lips before he is tying his hair up in a bun and then walking to Louis' side. 

"Well, I did make all this food-" Harry implies, but well - it doesn't go anywhere. 

"I know. I feel so bad," Louis immediately looks up with pouty eyes, ready to apologize before Harry is quickly cutting him off. 

"No, stop. It's okay," Harry reassures with a smile. He places his hand on top of Louis' shoulder and ignores the way it makes his skin heat up. Instead, he continues to comfort Louis by reaching for a plate with his free hand and placing in front of him. "We still have the food and the bottle of wine. Why let it go to waste?"

"I guess you're right," Louis brightens up a little. He turns his head and looks up at Harry, and _it's real_ \- or that's what Harry tells himself. Harry feels his breath hitch in his throat when he finally gets to look into those sapphire blue eyes staring back at him as if he is the most wonderful thing in this world, and well, Harry narcissism can't disagree with that. 

Louis mindlessly places his hand on top of Harry's where it is still resting on his shoulder. Harry feels a shiver run up his spine when the gentle skin on skin contact makes his fingers tingle with want. Their faces are kind of close together, and if Harry was drunk enough, he could lean down and press his lips against Louis'. But, Harry knows they just met and that his younger hormones are taking the best of him. He probably needs water, not wine, but he isn't going to stop himself if this is his one opportunity to actually hang out with the attractive multimillionaire Louis Tomlinson. 

Their moment is broken when Zayn is singing his way into the living room. He walks out from the side hallway by the door and abruptly stops when his eyes land on Louis and Harry. Harry and Louis immediately pull apart when Zayn's loud voice is echoing through the room and his feet making a distinct sound across the wood flooring. 

"Zayn," Louis breaths out, turning his head in his direction and taking a visible gulp, to which, Harry notices the gulp, of course he does. He's seen men do that gulp in Rom-Coms when they clearly want something and are about to do something about it but is then interrupted by a dumbass. And in this situation, the dumbass is Zayn. Harry really needs to lay off the rom-coms though. 

"Where's Eleanor?" Zayn questions. His eyes harden as they look over to Harry, and Harry feels the scrutinizing and judging look coming his way, so he turns himself back to the food and starts stirring the leftover green beans in the pot to make himself look busy. 

"Shouldn't you and Perrie be gone by now?" Louis asks him instead, clearly avoiding the question asked. 

"Yes. Yes, sorry," Perrie quickly hurries down the same hallway Zayn had just come through. She scurries her feet along the ground to grab her purse from the couch. She gives Louis a weak smile and walks back to Zayn to grip his arm and drag him towards the door. "We are leaving. Zayn was trying to spy on you, but I will not let it happen."

"Was not," Zayn defends weakly. 

Perrie rolls her eyes and gives Louis an abrupt wave before she is dragging Zayn out the front door. When Harry and Louis are left with just themselves, the air in the room is suddenly silent. Harry continues to stir the green beans around, despite them being done and the two of them being alone. Louis continues to face the front door before he is swirling himself back around to face the counter. 

Louis looks up at Harry and gives him a smile as he reaches for the wine bottle. "So, about dinner?"

Harry bites his lip in an attempt to hide his goofy grin, but he feels his lips curving up as he sets his spatula down. Louis looks over at him and tilts his head over towards the dining table before he is standing up and grabbing the two empty wine glasses. Harry mentally squeals as he quickly grabs the two plates he's prepared and skips his way over to join Louis at the table. He sits across from him and smiles while he grabs a glass from Louis and lets him pour a good bit of wine. 

"So, Harry-" Louis starts, raising his glass in the air and waiting for Harry to clink their glasses together. "Tell me a little about yourself." 

Harry takes a sip of wine and then sets his glass on the table. He picks up his fork and knife and starts cutting up his pork chops just to give him something to focus on rather than staring at Louis' face and mentally undressing him in many different ways. "I went to Culinary School in New York City for a few years before I got a chef job at a diner."

"Which diner?" Louis questions.

"The one off of forty-third-" Harry sighs, remembering what that job lead to and who it's reminding him of. "My ex-boyfriend thought I was ridiculous for going to culinary school and for working at the diner."

"Boyfriend?" Louis raises his eyebrows, setting his fork and knife down before resting his elbows on the table. He props his head into his hands and looks over at Harry curiously, twisting his lips to the side as if he was considering something.

"Yeah, he was an ass. Made fun of me a lot," Harry explains with a pout. He reaches out for his wine glass again and ends up downing the rest of it in one gulp. He looks over at Louis and notices that he is staring back at him in some sort of shock. Harry tilts his glass in Louis' direction signifying that he needs a refill, to which Louis happily pours him some more. "So, I dumped him - or he cheated on me, whatever. I quit my job at the diner, and now here I am. Not much fascinating in the life of Harry Styles."

"I beg to differ. You fascinate me," Louis argues back.

Harry blushes right away at the compliment and tries to hide his newly tinted cheeks by taking another sip of his wine. He smacks his lips together when he finishes his gulp and sets his glass back on the table. "What about you?" Harry then asks, pushing some fly away hairs behind his ear. 

"I've created some software that I've ended up selling to different tech companies and launched two apps, I'm sure you've heard of them?" Louis then implies, seeing Harry nod his head. "One of the apps was actually inspired by my mother. She was always on about shopping online and how convenient it would be to have an easy app to do so-"

"So, you're the first one to make a shopping app?" Harry questions in awe.

Louis shrugs his shoulders. "Kind of, but the app did help me gain a lot of partnerships with different companies. So i created and ran nearly fifteen shopping apps for stores and provided a way for customers to use the app in an easy and efficient way." 

 

"You're close with your mom then?" Harry decides to ask because well, he really does want to get to know Louis. And just from sitting there having this small conversation to get to know each other a bit more, Harry can see how excited and prideful Louis is about himself and getting the idea from his own mother. 

"Sadly, she passed a few years back," Louis drops quietly, reaching for his glass and taking another sip. "My mom and my little sister actually." 

Harry's features drops as he lets out a shaky breath. Of course this is what happens when he becomes too invasive and pries into someone's life. The last thing he wanted to do was to make Louis more upset than he probably already was from his breakup with Eleanor, but come to think of it - Louis hasn't really seemed too bummed out about the whole proposal failure anyways. If anything, Harry can almost see that weight being lifted off his shoulder like this break up actually saved him. 

"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean-"

"It's okay. I made my peace with it," Louis reassures right away. He reaches across the table and grabs on to Harry's hand that started to nervously shake. Harry blinks his eyes over to Louis and feels his skin flush red at their second skin on skin contact of the night, and Harry now has enough alcohol in his system to make this touch seem more intimate than it should be. 

"That's good," Harry stutters over his words. His eyes flick back down to where Louis' hand is on top of his and he tries really hard to calm his breathing down, but his next breath gives him away by coming out short and choppy. He tries to mask it away with a weak smile as he regains eye contact with Louis. 

"My mom used to read me this bedtime story when I was younger, _Corduroy_ -"

"I love that story-" Harry interrupts with a smile, but he soon blushes when he watches as Louis begins to giggle at him. "Sorry," He mumbles.

"No, it's okay. I love that story, too. I used to remove buttons from my shirts so I could be like Corduroy, and then when my sisters came along, I would steal their buttons and then tape them back on."

"You sound like you were a fascinating little child," Harry teases. 

Louis nods his head and laughs. "I suppose," He then smiles, blinking up at the ceiling and sighing. "When my sisters were born though, I used to read them that story all the time. My mom actually made me my own Corduroy stuffed bear that I took everywhere with me. I ended it up giving it to my sisters because they loved the story as much as me." 

"Well, wheres the bear then?" Harry perks up, looking around as if it is going to pop out at any time. 

"Sadly, the book and the bear got destroyed. Our home got flooded one day from a pipe bursting, and everything was soaked." 

Harry pouts as he reaches for his wine glass again. He raises it up in the air and toasts out to Louis, causing the latter to smile softly at him. "To _Corduroy_ then." 

Louis bites his lip as he meets his glass in the middle with Harry's. They finish the toast off with a sip of their wine before falling into easy conversations. This goes on for about the next few hours - chatting about life and finishing the bottle together. They eventually move to the patio right outside the dining area once the bottle is finished. 

Louis quickly fetches another bottle he has stowed and meets Harry out there at the table he has. The two of them continue to talk whilst drinking more wine and looking out at the view of Manhattan at ten in the night. Not a lot of cars are bustling around, but the city is lit up by street lights and other buildings surrounding the area. 

Once the wine starts to die down and the conversations begin to get quieter, Harry finds himself looking back at Louis. He can't recall what he just said to cause the gorgeous man to start laughing like he didn't have a care in the world, but Harry thinks he wants to always be saying something that causes this reaction from Louis. 

He gets crinkles by his eyes and his lips purse together. It makes his cheekbones go higher and causes his eyes to squint. Harry knows he is blatantly staring as he watches Louis settle down from laughing, and he can't help the smile that starts to creep up on his own lips as he watches Louis calm himself down. Then Louis turns to look at Harry, almost like he is about to say something in return, but then he stops himself and stares back at Harry - and he  _really_ stares at Harry.

The sound in the air seems to be sucked into a silent tension that is growing between the two of them. Louis' features soften as his eyes dance across every part of Harry's face, almost like he is admiring what he is looking at. Harry's cheeks flush right away at the thought of Louis checking him out, and he quickly diverts his eyes down to his lap so Louis can't be able to tell what he does to him. 

"Hey," Louis whispers, trying to get Harry's attention back on him. 

Harry's breath stops short in his throat when Louis' hand caress the side of his jaw. His head is being tilted in the direction towards Louis' face, and Harry has no choice but to look his way. There is a brief moment when their eyes are glued to one another, faces just mere inches apart, but that soon all washes away when the first press of their lips come together.

It all happens way too fast, and the alcohol in their system only seems to make things move along much quicker. One minute the kiss is innocent out on the patio of Louis' penthouse, then the next, Louis is carrying Harry up to his room and undressing the boy as if he is hungry for his body. Their clothes come off fast and they fall into Louis' bed in a naked heap of a mess. 

Harry doesn't have much time to process the fact that a straight, newly single multimillionaire man is now fingering his ass in preparation for that said millionaire man to stick his cock inside. Harry doesn't question it at all how prepared Louis seems to be with a condom and lube, and knowing the way to have sex with a man. Louis' doesn't miss a beat with the way his fingers are stretching Harry open, or when his hands wrap around the shaft of Harry's dick. Harry loves the way he can feel Louis encompassing every part of his body as if Louis owns him - kisses Harry the way Harry has always dreamed of being kissed. 

When the first press of Louis' cock starts to breach the rim of Harry's ass, Harry feels his soul leave his body. The thickness of Louis' cock completely stretches him out and makes him clenching for more. The feeling is tight, a size Harry definitely is not used to. He needs to alleviate the euphoric feeling in some way and ends up patting his hands around on the mattress until he comes in to contact with Louis' hands planted next to his head. 

Louis laces their fingers together and slams Harry's hands down on the bed, pressuring him down as he moves his hips all the way until they are hugging Harry's ass. Harry relieves the stretch with a loud gasp that nearly sucks the air from his lungs. He pushes his own hips up closer to Louis' body and ends up arching his back off the bed while Louis' hips start to rock back and forth as if Louis is making a statement that his body knows exactly what to do in order to get this reaction out of Harry.

Their bodies fit together like they were made to be wrapped around each other. Harry wants to think this is just a quick and horny hook up with a desperately heart broken guy, but Louis is looking down at Harry as if he wants it just as much. His blue eyes scream hunger and desire, and Harry really shouldn't be feeling this type of way as he is having his first one night stand, but his heart flutters - and his skin is heating up whilst his mind is solely focused on Louis. Every part of his body wants to be touched and loved by those gentle hands Louis has to pin Harry down with. Harry craves for this feeling again, like he's on cloud nine. 

Louis leans down when he starts drooling over the look of Harry's bitten lips. He finally gets another taste as he folds his lips perfectly against Harry's and rubs his tongue all along the inside of Harry's mouth. Louis moans against the kiss as his hips start to stutter as if he is finally about to release and plans to do so in Harry's ass. God, Harry is already thinking about the feeling of Louis releasing himself inside of his body, and the thought alone causes him to pull Louis closer by wrapping his legs around Louis' waist. 

Louis pulls back from the kiss when he feels himself nearly go on over drive. He drops his forehead down on to Harry's and ends up breathing on his face as he looks down in between their bodies. Harry blinks his eyes up at Louis and watches his features, sees as his eyes start to scrunch together and his mouth dropping open when the final thrust has him moaning out and spilling inside the condom. Harry's cheeks heat up at Louis' reaction, knowing he's the one to get Louis to look that way whilst having sex and ends up doing the same thing as he spills himself in between their bodies. 

Louis slows his hips down until he feels limp inside of Harry. Harry opens his eyes when he starts to feel Louis slip out of him, only to freeze when he sees Louis' eyes looking straight down at him. Harry doesn't get a chance to utter a word or catch his breath before Louis' hands are cupping the sides of Harry's face and leaning down to press their lips together. The kiss lasts for a few seconds before Louis is rolling over to his back on the space next to Harry. He is breathing heavily as he loops an arm underneath his head. 

It is quiet for a moment as the two of them lay there, both staring up at the ceiling until Louis lets out another big breath before giggling. Harry bites his lip and turns his head to look at Louis, seeing that he has a smile on his face. 

"What?" Harry questions nervously, chewing on his lip and feeling insecurity flush his system. 

Any doubts he had about how good he was for Louis is completely washed away when Louis turns on his side and scoots closer to Harry. Their chest is pressing together as Louis wraps his arms around Harry's frame. He rests their foreheads together as he smiles down at Harry, pecking his nose lightly. "You were amazing," Louis whispers in the dark of the night, leaning in to kiss Harry's lips again. 

Their conversation dies in their throat when the weight of the night washes over their bodies. The two of them end up falling asleep to their arms and legs wrapped around each other as if they haven't just met earlier that day. Harry knows sleeping with his boss on the first day of his job right after that said boss just got dumped by his  _girlfriend_ isn't necessarily number one in the most romantic things he's ever done, but if he gets to sleep comfortably pressed up to one of the most attractive man he's ever laid eyes on, then he can deal with everything else in the morning. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry tries to deal with working for Louis after the two of them had drunk sex. It only gets harder when the reality of Louis and Eleanor's relationship starts to get more serious, and Harry is feeling things he knows he shouldn't be.

Harry is fucked.

Quite metaphorically and literally, considering Louis actually did fuck him the previous night, but he is also metaphorically fucked as well because Louis is his boss, who Harry has to see every day, who also physically fucked Harry. Yeah, Harry knows he had many sexual fantasies enter his mind the minute he first saw Louis - but who wouldn't? Louis is beautiful - the only issue is that those sexual desires started to dissipate throughout the day once Harry got to know Louis more, and Harry really wanted to grow a true connection with Louis. He wanted a solid boss to employee relationship in order to make his job experience as a personal chef to be quite fun. 

Well. Harry done messed that relationship up. He didn't mean for them to have sex. He really does have more self-control than his mind lets him believe, but with the alcohol running through their system and the way it was so easy for the two of them to talk about anything made it hard for Harry to not have that attraction grow. He's twenty-two for crying out loud.

What's worse is that the next morning, when Harry woke up to his naked body pressed against Louis', they woke up to the sound of Eleanor entering the flat. Harry's hangover was way too deadly and it was way too early for him to have any time to process anything, but all he knew was that he was being shoved in the closet as Louis began throwing clothes on himself and running down the steps. 

Harry's never really been on the bad end of a one night stand, nor has he actually had one. In reality, sex is something Harry values in a relationship and doesn't seek it as something he wants to do carelessly. So he went against his own morals by hooking up with Louis last night, and since he is so inexperienced with having meaningless sex, he doesn't know the protocols for it. Should he have left right after it happened? Probably, but well, he's a dumbass sometimes. 

It takes a while before Harry finds his escape route down the stairs without having much suspension thrown his way. Perrie and Zayn are nowhere to be seen, which means they are either late for work or they left Louis and Eleanor in the living room to work out whatever issue they have to deal with. Harry makes it down the last few steps and remains hidden behind the wall when he hears the end of Louis and Eleanor's conversation, feeling as if he is completely invading on a private matter when he notices Louis getting down on one knee and pulling out a velvet box. 

It is all a quick mess as Louis asks Eleanor to marry him with Eleanor squealing out a mantra of yes'. Harry chokes on his breath almost immediately and feels completely speechless over the entire scene he had just witnessed because well, didn't Louis and Eleanor break up the night before? And, well, didn't Louis and Harry just have sex too? It all seems so surreal and chaotic as Harry tries to process everything that happened and tries to ignore the way Louis and Eleanor are wrapping their arms around each other to celebrate their new proposal with a kiss. 

Because if Harry remembers correctly, Louis was telling him how Eleanor wanted to enjoy being single for a while. So what Harry doesn't understand is how Louis can easily propose to Eleanor knowing very well that she had gone out the night before to hook up with any guy that was interested in her. Harry didn't understand the romance behind it nor did he understand why Louis would sleep with him and then turn around to propose to his ex-girlfriend. It was all strange and too much for Harry to process. Who even let him take this job?

Liam, god dammit.

Harry finally finds his way to come out from hiding when Eleanor and Louis pull away from hugging each other. When Harry slowly emerges from behind the wall he was hiding behind, he and Louis make brief and awkward eye contact before Louis is pulling Eleanor forward to introduce her to Harry. It is an awkward mess as Eleanor lazily greets Harry, and Harry can easily see how unwanted he is right now considering Eleanor's eyes are dancing from her new engagement ring to Louis' body, barely giving Harry any of her attention. Harry tries to ignore the fact that Louis and Eleanor are most likely about to have celebratory sex after the proposal, instead he tries to mask his emotions to offer Eleanor a welcoming smile instead of showing any signs on his face that he just got fucked by her fiancé. 

He promises the two of them a gourmet celebratory lunch after they have their time to reconnect, which he cringes at the thought of Louis going from having sex to him to having sex with her. He quickly grabs all his things and rushes out of the apartment without a glance towards Louis' way, and once he is out in the lobby of the floor, he continuously presses the down button on the elevator until it finally reaches the floor. It takes Harry a short amount of time to make it back to his own apartment to catch Liam before he is heading off to work.

Harry opens the door loudly before he is standing in the doorway eyeing Liam down with his crazy eyes. Liam pauses mid-bite, his spoon full of cereal, and gently sets the spoon back in the bowl. He raises his eyebrows curiously as he looks Harry up and down, noticing that his clothes are in a disarray and the bun on his head falling down the side. 

"Good first day then?" Liam asks, patting the spot next to him on the couch. 

Harry cocks his head to the side and slams the door shut. He trudges his way across the floor and slumps his body down next to Liam. He grabs a plush pillow that's resting against the armrest and hugs it to his chest. "I slept with Louis," he mutters under his breath, pouting his lips before burying his head into the fabric of the pillow. 

"Um," Liam bites his lip. "What?"

"Me and Louis fucked," Harry then screams louder. The pillow he has to his chest is then thrown across the room. Harry turns his body on the couch and folds his legs underneath his butt while his fingers tangle in his hair. "He was going to propose to his girlfriend last night, and he wanted me to make them a meal. Well, guess what happens instead? His girlfriend called to break up with him, and then we ate the dinner together, had some wine, and well - then we fucked."

"Harry-"

"And then this morning his girlfriend comes back after sleeping around herself, and Louis fucking  _proposes_ to her," Harry continues, eyes wide and eyebrows raised in which is causing his forehead to crease with stress. "Liam, Louis fucked me. A guy. I am a guy. He knew what he was doing. Is he gay? Bi? I never knew he went both ways, and now I am freaking out because we had sex on the night he was supposed to propose to his girlfriend, but his girlfriend broke up with him that same night.  _Over the phone_ , Liam. She broke up with him over the phone because she wanted to sleep aroundand enjoy being single for the night. And now I am screwed because he proposed to her this morning after he got out of bed with me. How the fuck am I supposed to function?" 

Harry says this all in one breath and ends up gasping for air by the time he is done. He stares at Liam for a second and sees that he is trying to process everything that is going on. Liam lets out a grunt, and Harry ends up falling back on to the couch and covering his hands over his face. 

"I can see it," Liam then admits, nodding his head. "Louis being into men." 

"Liam!" Harry whines. 

"Look, Harry, I don't know what to tell you," Liam replies weakly. He shrugs his shoulders when Harry cracks his fingers open to peek at him before he was reaching for his bowl of cereal. He continues to spoon his frosted flakes and ends up getting drops of milk on his chin. 

"The worst part is that I promised to make them a celebratory meal after they have sex this morning," Harry blurts out, running his hands down the side of his face before placing them on his belly. "And-" Harry starts before biting his lip and not finishing his thought. 

Liam raises his eyebrow when Harry doesn't continue. With a mouthful of cereal, he mumbles, "And what?" 

"The proposal was a mess. It didn't seem right." 

"You don't think he wanted to propose then?" Liam inquires, watching Harry carefully. 

Harry shrugs lazily, twisting his fingers together, "He didn't seem upset when they broke up last night, quite the opposite really. And the proposal wasn't like - it wasn't meaningful. He just asked. It didn't look right." Harry purses his lips to the side thoughtfully as his hands move down to the loose string coming from the cushion of the couch. He begins twirling it around until he gets annoyed and rips the string out fully. When he looks back up, he sees that Liam is watching him carefully. 

"How are you feeling about all this? You seem disturbed." 

Harry doesn't really know how to feel, truth be told. He doesn't know if he is relieved to know that his and Louis' sexual encounter didn't hinder Louis' relationship with his long term girlfriend, but then on the other hand - how could Louis sleep with Harry and then turn around to propose to a girl? In reality, Harry is beyond fucking confused and doesn't know what to make out of the situation. 

Their sex was a hookup, but deep down, Harry felt something more. He knows there was a connection between the two of them that he's never felt before with his past two partners, and part of Harry really wants to explore what that hidden feeling is. But then the question stands, is Louis even gay? As confused as Harry is about the whole thing, Louis may be confused about himself. Harry needs answers, and one of the main ones is to know if he still has his job because despite their little sexual hiccup, Harry really could use the money and experience being a personal chef. 

"I'm confused," Harry grumbles with a small laugh. "I've never seen such a quick switch-up happen before." 

"Well, I've never slept with my boss so I can't really relate to any of this," Liam teases, which, it earns him a rightfully punch to the arm. He ends up falling sideways on the couch in a fit of giggles which furthers Harry's frustration, but Liam can't stop the laughing when the angry look Harry makes ends up making his face look like a grumpy cat. It really puts a damper whenever Harry and Liam get into some arguments because half the time when Harry makes the face, Liam ends up laughing crazily. 

"Whatever. You're useless," Harry then groans. He picks himself up from the couch and grabs all his tossed material on the floor. "I'm going to shower. I have to head back to work," he announces as he disappears down the hallway. 

Just as he is about to shut the bathroom door behind him, he hears a faint, "Yeah make sure to wash all of Louis' come out of your ass." And Harry swears he's never been as quick on his feet as he just was because he is swarming out of that bathroom and rushing to suffocate Liam's face with a pillow in a blink of an eye. 

 

//

 

Harry opens the door to Louis' place slowly. He doesn't hear any commotion coming from the other side, which, he takes as a good sign. He arches his head through the opening of the door and looks around to see an empty living room. He can finally relax now knowing he is alone and that there are no signs of Louis and Eleanor anywhere, so pushes the door open and makes his way inside. 

Once he is inside and pressing his back up against the door, Harry listens for any sounds to indicate that there are other people in the apartment with him, but there is not a sound to be heard anywhere. So, he must really be alone. Harry lets out a relieved breath and makes his way to the kitchen. He has his bag slung over his shoulder that is carrying all his necessities for when he's in cooking mode. His grandmother had knitted him a special apron with his initials on it, and his mother had gotten Harry an exclusive spatula from Italy that Harry refuses to cook without. He always makes sure he has both items with him when he's in the comfort of the kitchen, and he brings those things with him as he places his bag on top of the counter.

Except, Perrie must have just cleaned the countertops because suddenly his bag is sliding completely off of the counter and landing on the ground with a loud _thump_. Harry lets out a groan as he walks to where his bag is laying on the ground with all his materials spread out everywhere. Harry mutters under his breath as he bends down to begin picking up his spatula and his apron, shoving both items inside his bag just before he is abruptly standing back up on his feet. 

Just as Harry is straightening up and turning to walk back to the island, Louis is rounding the corner from the hallway right next to the kitchen and ends up stumbling into Harry's space. Harry squeals under his breath and trips over his feet at the sudden appearance of Louis, but Louis' hands are quick to reach out to hold on Harry's hips to keep him from falling back. Harry's body shivers at the contact just as his hair falls over his eyes, so he quickly blinks a few times before blowing air up his face so he can see Louis properly. 

"Oops?" Harry squawks in surprise, clutching his bag close to his chest and offering Louis a weak smile. 

Louis bites his lip and gently pulls his hands away. "Hi," he smiles. 

There is a beat of silence afterward between the two of them while they stand there in the kitchen. Harry is still clutching his bag to his chest and trying to look anywhere other than at Louis, but his eyes keep drifting over to Louis' hands and knowing that those hands had touched his body many times - that those fingers were just in his ass the night before, and it makes Harry have to gulp down the lump he feels growing in his throat. He really should not be thinking about this at the hour, but well - the sex was really good, and it was something Harry can't seem to stop thinking about. 

Louis starts shifting his weight back and forth on his feet when the silence seems to drag on. He twists his lips to the side and claps his hands together which draws Harry's eyes towards him. When they finally make eye contact, Louis lets out a big breath and decides to mention the giant ass elephant in the room. "Look, about last night-"

"It was an accident. I know," Harry cuts in right away. He feels his muscles loosen just a little bit, and he is able to set his bag on the counter without giving away how nervous he is feeling. At least this fucking time his bag doesn't slide off the counter. "I just want to move forward and continue to be your chef. I hope the job still stands?" 

"The job still stands," Louis eases, biting his lip when Harry lets out a relieved laugh. 

"Oh, thank you," Harry sighs. And against Harry's better judgment, he jumps forward and wraps his arms around Louis' neck. It's almost on instinct for Louis to wrap his arms around Harry's waist to pull him in close to his body, and Harry gets lost in it for about a few seconds before he realizes what he is doing. 

Harry pulls back with a cough and swipes his hands down his chest. He crosses his arms over his stomach and gives Louis a weak smile before he's turning back to the kitchen. He pulls his apron out and ties it around his waist and then starts grabbing a few pans from the cabinets. As Harry reaches in the cabinet to pull out a pan, he can suddenly feel the weight of Louis' eyes watching every move he makes, which puts a lot of pressure on Harry to not mess up. 

Which of course, causes Harry to mess up and pull the wrong pan from the cabinet. It's a loud and embarrassing sound as all the pots and pans tumble out of the cabinet and land on the floor. Harry looks mortified at the ground as he quickly bends down to pick everything up. He doesn't realize he has an extra pair of hands helping him until he sees Louis' dainty fingers properly stacking the pans back to how they were. 

"Harry-"

"I'm sorry," Harry blurts in reply. He sets the pan he actually needs on top of the island and steps away from Louis and everything else. His back hits up against the countertops behind the island, and he covers his face with his hands. He begins shaking his head and laughing bitterly, feeling so many emotions all at once that he almost wants to cry for how ridiculous he's being. 

"It wasn't an accident," Louis whispers in return, referring to the previous conversation they were just having. He takes a step closer to Harry and notices his breath stopping short. He takes that as his cue to step even closer until their bodies are mere inches apart. Louis reaches out and grabs on to Harry's wrists gently, prying them away from his face and letting them fall in between their bodies. "I knew what I was doing." 

"You're gay?" Harry decides to ask since the question has been gnawing at him since the two of them had sex. And it truthfully is a valid question. There really is no research that can be done to prove Louis is gay, but since he knew what he was doing with Harry, that makes Harry think there is some potential there. Maybe some potential leading towards Harry that Harry knows is a long shot, but well, a man can fantasize. 

"I wanted to have sex with you last night, and I don't regret it."

Harry gulps when he blinks up into Louis' eyes. They are a bright blue at this moment and staring so deeply into Harry's eyes. Harry doesn't know what to make of the comment or what exactly to do. He feels tied up in Louis' words and his warm stare. Every ounce of his body is screaming for Louis' touch, but he knows he has to refrain for several reasons. The main one being that Louis is now engaged to a girl, who Harry just now remembers had sex with Louis not that long ago.

The moment between them is broken off when Eleanor comes skipping down the steps. She makes a loud entrance with her heels clicking against the wood flooring of the living room. Harry and Louis jump apart right away as Eleanor starts walking towards the kitchen. Harry finally feels his throat relax and air making its way out his system when Louis turns to greet Eleanor at the island.

"Where's lunch?" She asks right away, eyeballing the empty pots and pans before looking at Harry with a frown.

Harry blinks a couple of times before he feels like he can actually move his body. He walks back to the stove and puts the pan on top of the hot plate. He walks over to the fridge and pulls out some butter to heat on the pan before he gets his cutting supplies. "Coming right up," he answers back with a bite to his lip.

Harry focuses on chopping up the chives while he hears Eleanor let out a scrutinizing sigh. He quickly flicks his eyes up and sees Eleanor turned toward Louis and Louis' hands moving to wrap around her waist. Harry cringes at the sight right away and goes back to chopping the chives up, trying to ignore their conversation, but his ears seem to want to listen to every single word being shared between the two.

"Louis, lunch should be prepared at twelve on the dot. It is now one," Eleanor complains. She tries to keep her voice down, but she doesn't seem to realize Harry is just on the other side of the counter. She continues to huff as she flicks her wrist to check the time on her watch, letting out a groan before she plops down on the barstool.

"Harry needed to go home for a little bit earlier," Louis eases. He steps forward into Eleanor's space and cups the sides of her jaw. He leans his headdown and presses a kiss to the tip of her nose before letting go of her face. "You know, to give us some time."

Harry bites his lip at the comment and tries not to show any emotion, but he knows he rolls his eyes and lets out a little huff. He covers it up by grabbing a bell pepper and chopping it loudly, hoping that it could hide the fact that his mind is swarming with jealousy and anger over the fact that Eleanor got to sleep with Louis this morning. Not that Harry really has a right to feel either of those things, but he's currently confused and flustered, and those two emotions are the best he's got right now.

" _Some time_ it was," Eleanor scoffs sarcastically before she's sitting up from the chair. "I'm going to do yoga in the fitness room. Call me when lunch is ready."

Louis turns around to watch as Eleanor disappear down the hallway. When the door closes to the fitness room, he turns back around to Harry and watches as he finishes up dicing the bell pepper. They only get a few seconds of being alone in the awkward silence before Zayn is walking out of Louis' office. He has a phone pressed to the side of his head with his hand covering the microphone portion. 

"Lou, you have a call on the line," He informs Louis. 

Perrie is soon walking down the steps as well to join everyone in the kitchen. She has a glass of Moscato in one hand and a broom in the other. She takes a seat at the barstool and makes quick eye contact with Harry before looking up at Louis. Louis grabs the phone from Zayn and takes just a second to look at Harry before he is rushing down the hallway to his office. Then, it is just Zayn and Perrie at the counter while Harry quickly cracks eggs into a bowl. 

"So, I heard Eleanor and Louis going after it this morning-" Perrie starts, which - Harry really does not want to be hearing this. And it seems like Zayn doesn't as well because he lets out a loud groan and pushes Perrie's shoulder.

"Pez, that's disgusting," he complains, making his body shiver before shaking his head in disgust.

Perrie rolls her eyes and takes a quick sip of her wine. Harry notices that her eyes are carefully watching his every move, as if she is trying to gauge his reaction, and Harry starts to feel the pressure of her eyes on his body again when he accidentally gets a piece of the shell in the eggs. He curses under his breath and tries to discreetly pick it out. Once he wipes it on the towel, he looks over at Perrie to see if she notices, but when they make eye contact, she raises her eyebrow.  

"That's not what I mean," she then continues, finally shifting her eyes to Zayn to relieve Harry of the stress. Harry lets out a breath and begins whisking the eggs in the bowl. "I meant, he couldn't give Eleanor what she wanted this morning, and she got pissed. If you know what I mean." 

Harry knows Perrie's eyes are back on him, and now Zayn too. He bites his lip while he pours the bowl of whisked eggs on to the pan with the melted butter. He coats the bottom of the pan until its completely covered in egg, and he begins to season it with salt and pepper. 

"It's probably because his dick was too tired from fucking some bloke the night before," Zayn decides to blurt out, letting out the apparently known elephant in the room. Harry's eyes widen right away and ends up fumbling with the spatula in his hands. It lands on the floor with _clack_ and gets some of the eggs falling out of the pan while Harry's feet trip over one another. 

Harry curses again as he quickly reaches down to grab the spatula before he washes it in the sink. Harry quickly checks his eggs and notes they are fine, just a little messy, thank goodness he didn't actually spill the pan instead. Once he gives the eggs a quick stir so that they don't burn at the bottom, he quickly darts his eyes up at Zayn.

"What?" Harry squeals in surprise, letting out another big breath before he returns to his eggs and begins adding come cheese and the chopped bell peppers. 

"That wasn't the plan," Perrie sighs, shaking her head at Zayn before looking back up at Harry. "Anyways, I normally clean Louis' room around eight in the morning, but I walked in there, and he was still asleep. With his naked body up against another naked body." 

"You and Louis fucked last night," Zayn whispers harshly over the counter. His eyebrows are set in a scowl and his lips pressed in a fine line. Harry notices that the look on his face doesn't show much anger. If anything, it looks like envy, and Harry really doesn't know what to do with himself at this point now that Perrie and Zayn know. "I knew the moment he kicked the both of us out last night and not you that it was going to happen. Lucky bastard." 

"Zayn, shut up. Just because he doesn't want to sleep with you doesn't mean you can be an ass to Harry," Perrie chastises, but she has a smile on her lips as Zayn continues to brood. 

"Look, I'm sorry if-" Harry starts, but he is cut off when Perrie raises her hand in the air to signal him to stop. 

"No apologies. It's kind of his thing," she eases with a shrug to her shoulders. 

Harry frowns as he flips the omelet over and lets the other side cook. He presses the spatula down to hear the sizzling sound come from the omelet before he is putting it on the plate and garnishing it with some chives. He then begins to prepare the second omelet. "His thing?" Harry questions, cracking the eggs in the same bowl but making sure no shells get in this one. He mentally decides Eleanor can get the first omelet in case he didn't pick all the shells out. 

"Whenever he and Eleanor break up, he for some reason hooks up with guys. I've told him countless of times that he needs to just leave Eleanor and do what he wants, but he always takes her back. It's been the same cycle for the past three years," Perrie explains with a frustrated sigh, and Harry can tell that this is something that seems to really bother her. This is something good to know for Harry, knowing that Louis' staff really does want the best for him, and apparently that's not Eleanor. 

"He won't choose me though," Zayn complains again. He folds his arms on top of the counter and rests the side of his face on them. He blows air out his lips before pouting. "I've tried. Not even a kiss," He sighs. "Why you?"

"Zayn!" Perrie scolds, slapping the back of Zayn's shoulder. 

"Seriously. Don't you want to know?" He then asks Perrie and Harry, flicking his eyes back and forth between the two. "Think about it. Louis told me once that he would never sleep with his staff or any coworkers because of the legal allegations it could lead to."

"He probably said that just to make you feel better," Perrie snorts under her breath, trying to hide it by taking a sip of her wine. 

Zayn rolls his eyes and sits up in his chair. "It's true though. We would have to sign an NDA and prevent any money or job scandals from surfacing, but he risked that with Harry."

"Maybe he just hasn't gotten a chance to ask me to sign anything," Harry tries to reason, but he hates that part of him that feels like maybe he could be different to Louis. It is a long shot, but with Perrie and Zayn trying to figure something out makes Harry believe that maybe he is special. 

"Well, he also kicks his one night stands out most of the time," Zayn continues on, "Never cuddles with them. That's for sure." 

Harry feels his heart skip a beat at remembering the way Louis snuggled up against Harry's back right after they had sex. He remembers the way Louis' arms tightened instinctively around his waist and pulled him back against Louis' chest. He remembers feeling Louis' warm breath ghosting his neck and Louis' nose resting in his hair. Every part of Harry's body that night was surrendered to Louis, and that is something he doesn't think he will ever forget.

"He also told me he doesn't kiss the random blokes on the lips," Perrie then remembers, twisting her lips to the side before looking at Harry. "Did he kiss you?"

"No!" Harry answers quickly, cringing at the high pitched sound that comes out as he was answering. He knew they didn't believe him with the way his voice gave him away, but he tries to ignore the looks on their faces and opts to continue making the omelet. He does have a job to do, despite the others not wanting to do there's, he is there for cooking meals. 

"He did kiss you," Zayn then gasps, covering his hands over his mouth. "What the hell? There really must be something then with you," he mutters under his breath like he can't believe it himself. He then trails his eyes all over Harry's body, settling on his face and hair for a good solid minute before shrugging his shoulders and turning towards Perrie. "I don't see it," he bluntly states. 

"Me either so it's ok," Harry agrees lamely. He ends the conversation by plating the next omelet and turning off the stove. "Now if you don't mind, I have a late lunch to serve." 

Harry sighs as he picks up both plates and walks past both of them. He can feel their eyes on the back of his body, and he's thankful for the hallway he gets to turn down to finally disappear from them. When he is fully out of sight, he hits his back up against the wall and closes his eyes for a second. He lets himself calm down and steady his breathing before he feels ready to walk into Louis' office. 

He approaches the door and knocks quietly before he hears Louis tell him to come in. Harry pushes the door open and makes his way inside to see Louis sitting at his desk typing on his computer. The minute Harry steps down into the room and makes his presence know by holding the plates up, Louis smiles and turns his chair around to face him. 

"What do we have today?" He questions excitedly. 

Harry blushes as he walks to the end of the desk. He notices that Louis is watching him with those warm blue eyes and a small smile on his lips. He tries not to make much of it, but his mind wanders back to the conversation about Harry being someone different for Louis. Harry sets the plate down on the desk and looks over at Louis to see his reaction, noticing that his eyes get brighter and his smile grows. 

"My famous omelet," Harry informs, "Figured it's the perfect hangover cure." 

"This is perfect," Louis sighs. "Where's the fork?" He then asks with a small laugh, looking up at Harry amusedly. 

Harry's eyes widen briefly before he sets the other plate down on the desk and quickly backs out of the room. "Hold that thought," he squeals before he is turning out the door and rushing back towards the kitchen. He passes Perrie who is actually busying herself with brooming around the couch, and Harry isn't so sure where Zayn wandered off to. 

Perrie looks up at Harry as he quickly grabs forks from the kitchen drawer to rush right back out of the room. He makes it down the hallway in a quick motion but stops when he sees that Eleanor is now in the office. Harry lets out a deep breath while he leans against the wall closest to the door, going against his better judgment and scooting his head closer so he could eavesdrop on the conversation. 

"An omelet?" she questions, her voice laced with disgust as she picks the plate up. Her nose scrunches while she looks down at the food, scowling as she turns to look back at Louis. "It's one in the afternoon. I don't want a fucking omelet, Louis. Who is this chef you hired?"

"El, just eat the damn thing. It's delicious," Louis comments carelessly, almost like he would rather be doing anything else than having the conversation. Harry's lips quirk up just a little at the compliment and when he notices Louis has already taken a bite of his food, despite him not having a fork. Maybe he is just as eager to try Harry's food as much as Harry is eager to cook for him. It was a good relationship, Harry thinks. 

"I don't even have a fucking fork to eat the omelet with. This chef is horrid," Eleanor further complains. "He should know that eggs aren't my favorite thing to eat." Eleanor rolls her eyes as she makes one last glance at the plate before she abruptly tosses it on the desk. Bits of the egg fly on the ground and the plate ends up chipping, causing Louis to stop what he is doing to scowl up at her. "This is a joke, and I want you to find a new chef." 

There is a beat of silence where Louis is staring up at Eleanor, a fine line set on his lips and his eyes narrowing at her face. Eleanor doesn't seem to mind while she continues to smack her gum and look as if she doesn't have a care in the world, but Louis, on the other hand, is growing more annoyed by the second. He pushes himself back from the desk and stands up from the chair. He turns towards Eleanor and places his hands on hips.

"Eleanor, quite frankly, I don't give a fuck about what you think," He begins, causing Harry to choke on his spit and Eleanor to widen her eyes in shock. "I hired him because he is the perfect chef for me. As I recall, this is  _my_ place that you are hardly ever at. So really, you have no fucking say in who I hire. So either eat your damn omelet or get out of here so I can work." 

Eleanor crosses her arms over her chest and lets out a huff. "Just because you couldn't _perform_ this morning doesn't mean you get to take your anger out on me," she mumbles under her breath, a little bit too much sass for Louis' liking. 

"Just because you couldn't get me hard doesn't mean you can act like a bitch," he snaps back, raising his eyebrows when Eleanor tilts her head to the side at the remark. She ends up huffing and turning out the room in a hasty motion. She doesn't realize Harry is standing by the door at all as she stomps her way down the hallway, and after a few seconds have passed since their argument, Harry decides to finally walk into the office with the forks. 

"Here's the fork," Harry mutters quietly, not sure what to say after Louis was seen so angry and annoyed. But when Harry walks into the room and Louis' eyes make contact with his body, he immediately relaxes. Louis' features soften to a soft smile as he reaches for the fork. 

"Already had a few bites," Louis laughs under his breath. He places the plate on his lap and sets the fork on top of the desk. He stares down at his food for a second while Harry stands there awkwardly, shifting his weight between his feet and swaying his arms back and forth until Louis blinks up at Harry. "I think you're an amazing chef and have done amazing since I've hired you." 

Harry bites his lip and blushes. He really isn't used to being complimented when it comes to his cooking because he never really had anyone to cook for. Harry used to expect Nick to compliment him when they were together since Harry used to cook meals for him, but if anything, Nick was one of Harry's rudest critics, and on purpose too. Nick loved to belittle Harry about the one thing he was so passionate about. Harry might love cooking and be confident in his ability, but when it comes down to it, he is still very insecure that what he made wasn't good enough for his customer. 

"Thank you," Harry grins, dimples on display with his smile growing wider the longer Louis continues to stare back at him. "I- _uh_ -I'm glad you hired me, too. Even though your fiancé doesn't seem to agree." Harry mumbles the last bit under his breath in hopes Louis doesn't hear anything, but the frown on his face proves that he did. Louis removes the plate from his lap to put on the desk before he is standing up again. Harry ducks his head down to watch his shoes scuff along the wooden flooring, so Louis steps forward and cups the sides of his face.

Harry's breath catches in his throat when he feels Louis' hands gently guiding his face forward. Their eyes make contact right away with their faces mere inches apart. Harry feels immobile being under the control of Louis' hands. His feet remain planted on the ground when Louis steps even closer. His thumbs begin rubbing up and down the lining of Harry's jaw and causes Harry to bite his lip. 

"Ignore her," Louis amends, licking his lips as he quickly looks down to Harry's mouth then back to his eyes. "I want you here. That's all that matters." 

Harry gulps while Louis holds his face still for a few more seconds before finally letting go. Louis gives him a sweet smile before he is grabbing his plate and fork and making his way out of the room. Harry continues to stand there motionless and speechless, not entirely sure what to do with himself other than to internally freak out again.  Harry really needs to get a hold of his emotions because if he keeps this up, then the next time Louis is holding his face like that again he might just kiss Louis in response. And well, that can't happen.

 

//

 

Harry feels like the days have been going by semi less-awkwardly than his first day since having sex with Louis. They kind of tip-toed around each other for the first week until the basis of their relationship was defined purely as a boss to employee one. And it did help that Eleanor was kind of around a lot. She typically kept Louis busy and away from Harry, so this prevented any awkward interactions from happening between the two. 

Because every time they've been left alone, they stand too close together and their eyes scream things that their mouths can't. Now, Harry really could be looking too far into something, but he sees the way Louis' eyes linger on his body and that extra soft smile he tries to hide whenever Harry speaks. There are still moments that leave Harry flustered and confused, but he really is trying to hold his ground. 

Perrie and Zayn don't make it any easier, however. Perrie loves to give Harry looks after he and Louis have some sort of interaction. It's one of those looks like she knows something  is there between the two, or it's a look on her face as if she's watching some sort of magic happening. Which, Harry can agree there is something magical between him and Louis. He can't necessarily see it, but judging the look Perrie gives them on a regular makes Harry believe that it must be pretty noticeable if Perrie can see it. 

Zayn, on the other hand, seems to envy Harry even more. He continues to give Harry the cold shoulder and the evil glares. He gets really whiny and possessive whenever Louis is in the room like he is trying to prove a point to Harry - like maybe that Zayn knew Louis longer, but Harry thinks he wins the battle by kissing and sleeping with Louis first. Not that it's a battle, but if Zayn wants to play that game, Harry feels pretty confident in winning. 

Harry is just finishing up lunch when Eleanor and Louis are walking down the steps. Harry tries to ignore the small argument he hears them having as they make their way into the kitchen, but he can't help but listen. He tries to busy himself by glazing the chicken over with his pesto sauce while pursing his lips to whistle so if by chance they looked over, they would think he is ignoring them. 

"Why not, Louis? A fall bridal shower is perfect," Eleanor complains, and with Harry's luck, the two of them end up walking over to the island where he is still preparing their lunch. He turns around to grab the parsley he chopped up on the counter behind him just so he could roll his eyes without them seeing. 

"I just think it's too early," Louis tries to reason, pulling out a bar chair and taking a seat with a sigh. 

"If we get married in March-"

"March?" Louis questions nearly out of breath. His eyes bug out just about the same time Harry's hand slips from pouring and ends up drenching the chicken in sauce. They then both turn to Eleanor with equally shocked faces. 

"That gives us about five months to prepare," Eleanors answers like it's the easiest thing to consider. "I want a spring wedding and a fall bridal shower. You know this already. That has always been the plan." 

"I know, I just-" Louis pauses to let out a big breath as he turns in his seat. His eyes immediately blink up to Harry's, and they make brief eye contact before Harry is chewing on his bottom lip and focusing back down to put pesto on the chicken. Louis lets his eyes linger for a few more seconds before taking in a big breath of air and turning back to El. "You're right, love. Anything you want."

Eleanor brightens up right away as she jumps her way in between Louis' legs. She wraps her arms around his shoulder and gives him a hug. "This is perfect," She beams. She pulls away and drops down on to the seat next to Louis just as Harry starts to hand them their plates. Eleanor gives a weak smile while she grabs her pesto chicken pasta and forks around the noodles. "We need to set up a caterer and a designer-"

"Harry should cater the shower-" Louis blurts out before he has time to stop himself. His eyes are wide as he shifts his look from Eleanor to Harry, seeing Harry tense up right away and looking like a deer caught in the headlight. 

"I don't know, Louis-" Eleanor starts to shake her head, but Louis interrupts her again. 

"El, Harry is trying to start a business for his cooking career, and catering a bridal shower will be a good experience for him. He can advertise it with us as his first official customers, and that can launch something for him," Louis then explains with a growing smile, flicking his eyes between Eleanor and Harry to try to gauge their reactions. "Just think about it?" Louis then asks quietly, placing a hand on her thigh. 

Eleanor twists her lips to the side as if she was actually considering the offer. Her fork begins twirling the noodles on her plate while she briefly looks up at Harry, who is still looking lost and speechless where he stands. "Everything needs to be gluten-free," she then finalizes, popping a noodle in her mouth. "I need to fit in my wedding dress by March."

Harry rolls his eyes as he turns around to grab cleaning wipes behind him. He keeps his back to Eleanor and Louis while he focuses on wiping some of the smudges off the counters he had been cutting his food on. He tries to ignore the silent conversation El and Louis are seemingly having while he is still in the room, but as always, his ears like to deceive him, and he ends up listening to them.  

He really hates how much it bothers him whenever Louis compliments Eleanor, especially when it's concerning her body. Harry finds himself childishly mimicking Louis as he praises her physique, and he wants nothing more than to shove a cake down her throat just to see her skinny frame bloat up from the sweets. It's definitely not one of his most morbid thoughts, but considering how concerned Eleanor seems to be about her weight for the wedding, Harry can really think of some meaningful ways to make her gain weight. He doesn't necessarily know what he will benefit from it. Other than a good laugh when she starts to put on weight. 

Harry shakes his head when he does realize how immature he is being and stops cleaning. He blows air out his lips and turns around to see that it is just Louis standing in front of him now. Harry looks around the room for a brief moment before his eyes are falling back on Louis. 

"Thank you," Louis says slowly, scratching the back of his neck as he looks down at the island countertop. "Sorry I kind of threw this at you." 

"No, you're right about it being a good opportunity for me," Harry quickly reassures. He sees the sides of Louis' mouth quirk up just a little bit and it causes him to relax a little. He sets the wipes down on the counter and walks around to take the seat next to Louis at the bar top. "She seems a little picky, though," Harry then notes. 

Louis shrugs his shoulders as he lets out a breathy laugh. "She is," He agrees easily. "Maybe I should be the one to choose what foods are served at this thing. Not like she will eat much of it anyway." 

"Don't you want a groom shower? Is that even a thing?" Harry then questions, twisting his lips to the side as he leans down on the counter. He looks up at Louis thoughtfully while watching him think, finding himself smile at the way Louis' nose twitches randomly. 

"I suppose," Louis raises his eyebrows, "You wouldn't happen to want-"

"I can make stuff for you, too," Harry then jumps at the idea, not having enough time to process how horrible this was. He knows being involved with Louis and his girlfriend is one of the worst things to do considering he had slept with Louis. And considering the fact that he has all these strange feelings circulating inside him that he cant ever act upon. But, Harry never listens to anyone. Not even himself. 

"You sure?" Louis questions with worry, seemingly hesitant on the idea. At least one of them is semi-rational.

"Yeah," Harry breathes out. "I mean, Liam can help me. He is my roommate," Harry notes to himself, soon perking up and facing Louis' body completely. "You can always stop by and help as well. Or just check up on things. If you want?"

"I wouldn't mind helping actually," Louis smiles, "Plus, it would be nice to get out of the house for a change." 

Harry chews on his lip before he diverts his eyes down to his lap. He feels himself starting to blush and this unwanted desire beginning to flush around his body. He doesn't know why Louis wanting to help makes him feel all giddy inside, but it does, perhaps a little too much. Maybe it's because he never really had anyone dabble into his interests besides his best friends or his family, so this is different. 

This is _Louis_. Multi-Millionaire Louis Tomlinson who wants to take a day off to spend some time cooking with Harry. In his apartment too. Louis will actually be going to Harry's place and spending time with him outside of work to help him cook food, and Harry gets excited just thinking about it. 

"I'll make sure to send the list of foods to the both of you; have you guys mark off what you want or don't want," Harry then explains with more pep in his voice. Louis seems to notice because his smile starts to grow and his eyes brighten up as he amusedly watches Harry getting excited just from talking about his ideas. "I'll probably start preparing everything the week of. Is that okay?"

"Sounds perfect me," Louis softens, placing his hand on Harry's shoulder for a few seconds before he hears Zayn calling for him. 

It is only then when Harry is left by himself in the middle of the kitchen that he realizes just how stupid he is for ever thinking this is a good idea. 

 

//


End file.
